Shenmue 1/2

Post by **link343** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:44 am

Well, after 2 years of not playing it, I finally finished Shenmue 1. I went through two dreamcast to finish it and it was well worth it. I have just started Shenmue 2 on the dreamcast and boy it is massive. I have only gotten to day two but damn, the first couple of places are huge! Yu really stepped it up with the sequel. I want to know about your experiences with sega's last epic series.

Post by **Doctor Fugue** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:26 am

You'll probably hear nothing but good things about the sequel compared to the first one, so I'll provide a different point of view because I think they're quite different.

The second one is obviously bigger with a ton of things to do and see. However, I felt it was a little too linear. The first one felt like I was really living a day-by-day kind of life...I could go to the arcade, do a little training, go to the store, and if there was time...search for my father's killer. There weren't too many cut-scenes or changes of scenery. The first one felt more leisurely, sort of like Endless Ocean...there's a world to explore and that's about it. There's some story but I didn't feel pressured by it...

The second one felt too much like I was on a journey, circumstances changed all the time, it felt more like an adventure. Yes, I know the second one had the same amount of aimless things to do, but it never felt natural. And yes, most people probably enjoy the bigger, longer adventure type of thing better.

Other things...the fighting in the second one was not as good. I've tried both games back to back and the earlier game just has a more satisfying style to it, and the camera is problematic during fights in Shenmue 2. Also, there was no training (not daily anyway). I really missed finding an empty spot every day and just working on my moves.

And the weather never changes in the second one, right? That really bugged me. I loved waking up and finding out...oh it's raining...I'll stay in and play my "Saturn."

And need I compare the forklift job to lifting boxes?!? Seriously.

There are other things, too. I'll be surprised if someone agrees with me.

Post by **Caboose** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:15 am

Doctor Fugue wrote: Other things...the fighting in the second one was not as good. I've tried both games back to back and the earlier game just has a more satisfying style to it, and the camera is problematic during fights in Shenmue 2. Also, there was no training (not daily anyway). I really missed finding an empty spot every day and just working on my moves.

I loved both Shenmue and Shenmue 2. What Fugue said is true though, Shenmue is most open than Shenue 2, however I liked them both for their own reasons. Shenmue is one of those series where when you are playing the game the goal isn't to necessarily beat it, but to experience as much as the game has to offer as possible. Overall I think I like the second one better, mainly because the story is more involved as are the characters. To be honest though, I didn't do the kind of exploration in the second one that I did in the first. Anyways, they are both great games and I just wish Yu Suzuki could have made the third one or at least released a script or something so we could know what was really supposed to happen.

Post by **turbolegs** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:45 am

I must agree, Shenmue 1 is my preferance.

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned the abundance of lucky hit stalls, fighting rings and all the other mini games littering the streets. This was my main gripe with Shenmue 2. You couldn't go anywhere without one of these popping up. I felt that it had a really negative impact on the game environments because (personally), they were just too intrusive and a lot of the time, didn't seem to fit in with the locations they were placed. Particularly the fighting ring that overlooks the valley in the last city area, that could have been awesome.

Oh yeah, and I missed not being able to set a combo to the trigger. It made consecutive moves much easier to pull off.

Enjoy Shenmue 2, you'll never forget it.

Post by **grittykitty** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 2:52 am

it's been a long time since i seriously played either one (seriously meaning intently enough to base a valid re-opinion) but i did enjoy shenmue 2 much more. it was a lot more busy for better or for worse, but it felt much deeper to me. the game was never really about fighting, it was about interacting. what made the game so good was the character interaction, and the sequel had a lot more of that. personally, exploring new territory was always my favorite thing to do in a video game (and real life too!) so having a much larger cityscape to wander around in was a lot more fun that being stuck in dobuita. i remember even wanting to learn tai chi while playing the 2nd game for the first time! the original shenmue had no such effect on me